Date Set for Aereo Case to be Heard by Supreme Court - The UpStream

The Aereo saga has been an interesting one to follow. Battling legal issues, including appeals, since its inception, Aereo is looking to change the way TV content is consumed, and has even earned the backing of the Consumer Electronics Association. Now, Aereo will take on its biggest battle yet: squaring off against broadcasters in front of the Supreme Court.

After putting off expansion efforts in order to take on legal cases from all fronts, the company's efforts have now culminated in the ultimate court showdown. Broadcasters have pushed for the case to be heard in front of the Supreme Court, and now, after the Court agreed to it last month, we have a date set for the hearing. ABC TV will take on Aereo on Tuesday, April 22. The Supreme Court identifies the case as a "Copyright Act application to streaming of free broadcast TV programs via the Internet to paying customers."

What's also important to note about this case is the fact that Justice Samuel Alito has recused himself from the case. This is usually done when a Justice has a financial or other kind of personal interest involving the parties of the case. This is key because it could mean that the decision could wind up being a 4-4 tie, which would allow the lower court's decision in favor of Aereo to be upheld.

Aereo's CEO Chet Kanojia was optimistic about the case and is looking forward to the Supreme Court hearing.

We said from the beginning that it was our hope that this case would be decided on the merits and not through a wasteful war of attrition. We look forward to presenting our case to the Supreme Court and we have every confidence that the Court will validate and preserve a consumer's right to access local over-the-air television with an individual antenna, make a personal recording with a DVR, and watch that recording on a device of their choice.

So now that we have a date set, and the odds are slightly better for Aereo to come out victorious, hopefully we'll see another success for innovation to prevail. A decision in Aereo's favor would in turn benefit customers everywhere, by forcing Congress and the FCC to reassess the state of the broadcast industry. Kanojia has said from the beginning that he hopes Aereo will make TV more affordable to the average consumer in "a la carte packages" of channels, instead of hundreds of channels you might not watch but still have to pay for.

A complete schedule of hearings for the last two weeks of April is available for viewing online. You can also check out the source link below for more on the Aereo case, including key dates and decisions during the whole process, in the source link below. Hopefully, at the end of this, we'll see Aereo, and the consumer, as a winner.